baptize

verb

bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz 

ˈbap-ˌtīz,

 especially Southern  bab-ˈtīz,

 or  ˈbab-ˌtīz

variants or less commonly baptise

baptized also baptised; baptizing also baptising

transitive verb

1

religion : to administer baptism (see baptism sense 1) to

baptize a child in the Episcopal Church

was baptized a Catholic as an infant

2

a

: to purify or cleanse spiritually especially by a purging (see purge entry 1 sense 1) experience or ordeal

… baptized with pain and rapture, tears and fire …

—Sidney Lanier

b

: initiate

Both developments were baptized under last season's conditions of scanty snow …

—New York Times

3

: to give a name to (as at baptism) : christen

Theybaptized their son "John" after the baby's grandfather.

intransitive verb

: to administer baptism

baptizer noun

Synonyms

• call
• christen
• clepe [archaic]
• denominate
• designate
• dub
• entitle
• label
• name
• nominate
• style
• term
• title

Examples of baptize in a Sentence

The priest baptized the baby.

She was baptized at the age of 20.

Recent Examples on the Web

Monroe was baptized Norma Jeane Baker, but the name on her birth certificate was Norma Jeane Mortenson. —Jodi Guglielmi, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024

After the infant Edgardo Mortara is secretly baptized by a devout maid in Bologna, Italy, the boy at age six is taken from his Jewish family to be raised Christian, according to Pope Pius XI’s edict to ensure the Church’s authority. —Armond White, National Review, 31 May 2024

The two were married in 1985, five years after their first date, in the church in which he was baptized. —Zach Montague, New York Times, 29 May 2024

There are still groups arriving to Israel for visits to Biblical sites like the Sea of Galilee, where pilgrims from all over the world come to be baptized every year. —Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 26 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French baptiser, from Late Latin baptizare, from Greek baptizein to dip, baptize, from baptein to dip, dye; akin to Old Norse kvefja to quench

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

baptize

verb

bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz 

ˈbap-ˌtīz

baptized; baptizing

1

: to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian church

2

a

: to make pure in spirit (as by a painful experience)

b

: initiate entry 1 sense 3

3

: to give a name to (as in the ceremony of baptism) : christen

baptizer noun